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Drug verdict taints Cup

November 28 2004, 12:00am, The Sunday Times

While director Antonio Giraudo was acquitted, club doctor Riccardo Agricola was found guilty of sporting fraud and handed a 22-month sentence, which he will appeal against. The judgment recorded “the use of EPO and medicines in a way dangerous to health” between 1994 and 1998.

Ajax have a particular interest, because in 1996 Juventus won the European Cup final against them. If this were competitive cycling, where medals have been removed from champions guilty of doping, Ajax would have a case for being named European champions of 1996.

Louis van Gaal, the Ajax manager at the 1996 final, told me yesterday: “I think for the sake of the sport they should take prizes away if doping has been proved, otherwise you don’t discourage it.”